LogInLearn more about the game's karma system and seasons.
inZOI, the not-The-Sims-competitor, is only a month away: the life simulator will be released on March 28. Naturally, players are eager to learn more about what it has in store and if it will be enough to push The Sims away from its long-taken pedestal. While we can't say for sure yet, there are things inZOI does that EA should take note of.
Speaking with PC Gamer, inZOI's director Hyungjun 'Kjun' Kim, who had worked on MMOs like Elyon and Aion before the project, revealed that the idea of a life sim was inspired by his son.
"This is a genre I've personally enjoyed for a long time, especially since I have a wealth of memories playing these games with my son. One day, my son asked me why there aren't more games like the ones we enjoyed together. That made me realise the need for something new in this genre – something that fans like us could cherish and enjoy for years to come."
KRAFTON
Kim's experience in creating big maps and "intricate items" for MMORPGs has proven useful and helped him make inZOI's open world: "Although the two genres are different, I found it fascinating that they share these similarities in building expansive worlds and designing complex character interactions."
inZOI will start with 3 towns able to contain 300 Zois at the same time. The digital people have advanced AI, which makes them more alive by letting them create their own personalities independently.
Another interesting point worth checking inZOI out for is its karma system.
"Each time a Zoi performs an action, karma points are accumulated," Kim explained. "Upon death, a karma evaluation determines the state of the soul. If the score is too low, the Zoi becomes a ghost and must redeem their karma points before they can transition into a new life."
Speaking of death, your area can become a whole ghost town if there are too many apparitions around. "If too many ghosts appear in the city, new Zois cannot be born, nor can families be created, placing the responsibility on players to manage the karma of the Zois within the city."
You can drop your karma by doing unseemly things, like farting around others – now that's a ghost town I'd like to see.
"This system is not intended to enforce only 'good' actions and restrict 'bad' ones," Kim said. "Life cannot be divided simply into good and bad; every life has its own meaning and value.
"From a developer’s perspective, it would be immensely rewarding if players could use Inzoi's karma system to create diverse events and stories, while exploring the many meanings of life."
KRAFTON
Meaningful ghosts have only recently made it to The Sims 4, so that's a point to inZOI. However, there is one more thing EA should be ashamed of: its not-competitor brings seasons right at launch and not in a separate DLC that costs the same as the base game.
The temperature and weather conditions will influence Zoi's behavior and outfits – but this is nothing new for Sims players.
"We’ve also made sure that the clothing Zois wear reflects the current temperature," Kim said. "If your Zoi is underdressed in freezing winter, they can quickly fall ill – and if left in that state too long, they might not be able to survive. The same applies to wearing overly thick clothing in high temperatures."
Other than that, the worlds of inZOI will feature rumors, sickness, and trends. Players will be able to heavily customize their Zois, towns, and even interiors – the latter thanks to the game's image-to-3D system, which allows you to turn an object from a photo into an item you can decorate your house with.
Try inZOI in Early Access on March 28 to see all these features in action and join our 80 Level Talent platform and our new Discord server, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, TikTok, and Threads, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.